Category: Korea-General Topics

The Stars and Stripes has an article published now that discusses how a ROK Air Force servicemember has been hospitalized for MERS. Of further interest to those at Osan AB is that schools will remain open for now despite the MERS outbreak:

DODEA Pacific spokesman Charly Hoff said there are no plans to close military schools in South Korea.

“However, the health and well-being of our students and employees remain top priorities, and we are closely monitoring the situation in conjunction with military leaders and health experts,” he said. “Should an operational change become necessary, the principal at the local school will promptly notify students, parents and employees directly.”  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link, but of further interest is that the ROK Air Force servicemember said he caught MERS while being treated for a fracture at a hospital.  It seems that many of these infections are caused by people visiting the hospital where other MERS patients are.  Hopefully the Korean hospitals take extra precautions to stop the spread of the virus within hospitals.

For everyone stationed on Osan Airbase here is something to definitely be aware of:

An Air Force officer was isolated at a military hospital on Wednesday under suspicions he may be infected with the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), military officials said.

If confirmed, it would be the first case of the infection of the deadly respiratory virus in the South Korean military.

The chief master sergeant at Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, whose identity was withheld, tested positive for MERS, the officials said.

They said the military instantly isolated him and some 100 soldiers stationed at the same air base at a military hospital and their homes to prevent further infection on the base.

“We isolated a number of soldiers suspected to have contracted the disease to prevent its spread by minimizing others’ contacts with those we suspect are infected,” one of the officials said requesting not to be named. “The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will determine whether he has been infected or not on Thursday or later,” the official said.

The officer previously had been hospitalized for a fracture at a civilian facility in Gyeonggi Province that treated MERS patients, based on which the military conducted epidemiological research.

He, however, is not showing symptoms of the disease such as a fever or cough, the officials said.

South Korea has placed more than 1,300 people in quarantine with 30 testing positive for the respiratory virus since the first case of the disease was reported on May 21. On Tuesday, two of the 30 MERS patients died, sparking panic among some locals and forcing over 500 schools to close.  [Yonhap]

Hopefully base leadership is emphasizing taking appropriate precautions to prevent the spread of the disease on Osan.  Tight barracks space with shared facilities is a perfect place for a disease like this to spread. This whole spread of MERS has shown how minor the whole anthrax incident USFK recently had really was.

For those that did not know desecrating the Korean flag can lead to criminal charges:

Seoul Metropolitan Police filed on May 31 for an arrest warrant against a 24-year old Korean man, identified only by his surname Kim, for flag desecration.  According to the Hankyoreh,  Kim “burned a piece of paper showing an image of the South Korean flag while facing off with police who had erected a vehicle barricade at a memorial demonstration for the first anniversary of the Sewol ferry sinking.”  [Marmot’s Hole]

You can read a lot more about the criminal charges at the link, but ultimately the Seoul District Court decided to reject the arrest warrant for the protester because the man was emotionally not himself at the time. It is still interesting though that the Korean authorities do have the option to pursue such charges and this may be why I have never seen any Koreans before burning the Taeguki.

The outbreak of MERS in South Korea has now turned deadly:

South Korea on Tuesday reported the first two deaths from an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that has affected 25 people in two weeks.

A 58-year-old woman who had had contact with South Korea’s first patient died of acute respiratory failure on Monday, the Health Ministry said. A 71-year-old man who had been on respiratory support with a history of kidney ailments also died.

The ministry reported new confirmed cases on Tuesday, bringing the total to 25. South Korea now has the third highest number of cases after Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.  [Reuters]

You can read more at the link.

This seems like a common sense thing to do to stop the spread of MERS:

The South Korean government is moving to place a temporary ban on people exposed to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) from leaving the country, officials said Monday, as part of efforts to prevent the disease from spreading.

The move comes as a South Korean man, despite having come in close contact with a MERS patient and developing possible symptoms of the potentially deadly disease, left for China last week.

The 44-year-old man has since been diagnosed with the disease and is in isolation at a Chinese hospital.

The move also came as the country reported three more confirmed cases of MERS earlier Monday, bringing the total number of people infected with the disease to 18.

The latest infected people had been in the same hospital where the country’s first MERS case was reported. Two of them were patients in the hospital, while the other person is a son of another patient who had visited the hospital to care for his parent, the Health Ministry said.  [Korea Times]

I wonder if there will be any Koreans upset they are being quarantined like we had with the nurse in the US during the ebola scare?

Household loans surge to 9-year highhttp://t.co/2NalZsgLLf #Finance #Loan pic.twitter.com/KUsNRf1JAe

— The Korea Herald 코리아헤럴드 (@TheKoreaHerald) May 28, 2015

It is good to see that South Korea is taking the MERS virus seriously because in a densely populated country like South Korea the virus could easily spread:

The government said Sunday it will soon launch a task force of government officials and civilians to enhance a monitoring system for MERS and take all-out measures to prevent the spread of the viral disease.

“We will launch a joint task force of government officials and civilians for all-out efforts against the disease,” Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo told reporters. “We are determined to shed light on the cause of the disease and the route of its spread.”

Moon’s remarks came as the number of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome cases rose to 15 in South Korea as of Sunday.

The ministry confirmed two more MERS cases earlier in the day, bringing to 15 the total number of people infected with the deadly disease.

The Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said one serviceman in the central city of Gyeryong recently contacted his mother, who has been infected with the MERS virus, noting military authorities have quarantined some 30 other soldiers who live in the same barracks.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but the virus is reported to have a 40% mortality rate.  Hopefully everyone in USFK is taking necessary precautions as well.

S. Korea introduces public reporting system for airline safety violations http://t.co/Y9lDlzIyp3

— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) May 28, 2015

(3rd LD) S. Korea confirms two more cases of MERS http://t.co/xEfqOKRNFB

— Yonhap News Agency (@YonhapNews) May 28, 2015

Here is something all you fans of beer in Korea may want to checkout this weekend:

The second Great Beer Festival Korea for the year will be held at the Museum Cafe in Yongsan on May 30-31.

The festival will feature 130 kinds of beers, along with some food pairings. There will also be fun events such as stencil tattoo and DJing, along with live music and nonverbal performances.
“The festival is sure to be an entertaining time for couples, friends and families.

Microbreweries and specialty beer establishments are popping up everywhere. With a growing number of people bored with mass-produced beer and aching for more variety on the menu, craft beer is becoming a major trend,” according to a press release.

“The biggest appeal of craft beer, beer fans agree, is that it lets them find the flavor that suits their mood, their taste and their personality.”

This festival will run from 5 to 10 p.m. on May 30, and from 3 to 8 p.m. on May 31. [Korea Times]